South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

Florida the cruising capital of the world, the two main ports: Fort Lauderdale – Port Everglades and Miami – Port of Miami will be busy with ‘cruisers’. From families, couples or just groups of friends out to have a good time, everyone should be informed of what steps they should follow if they injured whilst on a cruise ship or cruising.

As a Fort Lauderdale attorney representing victims of cruise ship injuries over the past couple years my office has put together some steps you should take immediately or follow once you or a loved one are injured whilst vacationing on board a cruise ship.
1. Go to the ship's doctor to get treatment for your injury, should you require medical attention;
2. Take photographs of your injuries and keep records of all your medical bills etc
3. Prepare an accident report and submit to the Security department on the ship, keep a copy for your records;
4. Also get the ship’s Security Department report and keep for your records;
5. Take photographs of the scene of the incident before it changes, if possible. If the scene has changed, still take photographs;
6. Witnesses are very important so make sure and get all their information even if they live out of state or out of the country;
7. Should you require additional medical attention, go to a shore side doctor at the next port of call; keep your medical bills etc.
8. Should you decide to file suit or a claim, please see the Cruise Line ticket as that may specify where the suit/claim has to be filed. Miami is the headquarters of many of the large cruise lines so the ticket may specify Miami, Dade County, Florida.

NOTE: If suit is filed in the wrong location and one year has gone by, your claim could be thrown out of court and it maybe too late to file in the correct location.

The above are just some steps and things to remember if you plan a cruise vacation. Hopefully, you will not have to worry about any of these things and you will have a safe and enjoyable vacation, however, it is better to be aware of your rights.

Should you or a loved one be the victim of injury on board a cruise ship, please seek immediate legal counsel once you are back from your trip to ensure you are compensated for your damages and medical bills incurred. Our firm represents clients throughout Florida who have been injured in a boating accident, or individuals in a cruise ship accident anywhere in the Caribbean. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury as a result of a boating or cruise ship accident, contact us online or call us at 954 431 8100 or 305 624 9186 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.

Florida's weather allows for our kids to be on the road daily riding whether they are riding to and from friends and in and around our neighborhoods. We must encourage them to practice safe riding habits to ensure that they are safe and do not become the victim of personal injury on the road.

Florida Bicycle Association has some rulings for safe riding habits that all bicyclists should practice at all times to avoid injury. See below:

BICYCLE REGULATIONS
• A bicyclist must obey all traffic controls and signals.
• A bicyclist must use a fixed, regular seat for riding.
• No bicycle may be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed or equipped.
• At least one hand must be kept on the handlebars while riding.
• Every bicycle must be equipped with a brake or brakes which allow the rider to stop within 25 feet from a speed of 10 miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement.

BICYCLE LIGHTING

• A bicycle operated between sunset and sunrise must be equipped with a lamp on the front exhibiting a white light visible from 500 feet to the front and both a red reflector and a lamp on the rear exhibiting a red light visible from 600 feet to the rear.
• Additional lighting is permitted and recommended.

HEADSETS USAGE
• A bicyclist may NOT wear a headset, headphone, or other listening device other than a hearing aid when riding. Wearing a headset blocks out important audio clues needed to detect the presence of other traffic.

These rules and safety tips should be adhered by all cyclists. Should you or a loved one be the victim of a bicycle injury, contact us online or call at 954 431 8100 or 305 624 9186 to set up a FREE consultation to seek legal counsel.

When you say South Florida you think "Sun-Sea-Sand" and obviously the numerous bars that cover the coastline from South beach to West Palm. As an Attorney practicing in South Florida we have come across numerous car accident and personal injury cases where our clients are the victims of drunk drivers. Driving under the influence as we all know can cause serious harm to yourself and anyone else on the road.

I recently visited MADD’s website whilst I was researching Drunk Driving for my blogs and found lots of information pertaining to the new campaign, which I will be covering in my upcoming blogs. Statistics don’t lie and Florida in 2009 had 2,558 road fatalities due to drunk drivers we were rated 3 in the United States with California at the top with 3,081.

As stated on their website local law enforcement will be extremely visible on the roads in order to catch drunk drivers, it will also discourage intoxicated drivers from getting behind the wheel drunk and causing personal injury to other drivers on the roadways. Ignition Interlocking Devices or breathalyzers installed the car is another step that MADD and the Government which I will cover in my following blog, and lastly using today’s technology along with the car industry to assist in protecting the driver by failing to operate if the driver if found to be impaired, I will also cover in another blog.

The three components that are listed above I will cover more in my future blogs. Should you receive injury due to a drunk driver contact your South Florida Personal Injury attorney to seek legal counsel. Cohn, Smith & Cohn can help please contact us 954-431-8100 or 305-624-9186 to set up a free consultation with our dedicated attorneys who will go over your case with you and explain your legal rights and options. We have more than three decades of experience helping people who’ve been seriously injured on Florida roads due to drunk drivers.